The real NCAA tournament first round games were fantastic.  Plenty of great games and buzzer beaters.  After one day I am 14/16.  (I know it could go downhill in a hurry- but I am first in two of my pools).  I have not lost any elite eight or final four teams yet.  I did lose one sweet sixteen team when Louisville got bounced.  I love being able to have the option of watching all the games.  Plus, I have discoverd some fun shows to watch on TruTV. 

Wray Eagle baseball begins tomorrow Saturday Mach 19th against Fleming.  First pitch is 11am with yours truly doing the play by play.  Listen to the action on 1440AM KRDZ.  After the varsity game there will be a JV game.  Wray track also debuts the 19th.  They will be in Akron for the Akron relays.  The meet begins at 9am.

Is there a better time of year?  March Madness, spring training, NBA is in the playoff stretch drive and spring drills for college football.

I am not sure what to think about the first four games of the NCAA Tournament.  Aka: The play in games.  I love college basketball, I have always been a high school/college sports fan first, then pro, but watching the first four games made me want to jam an ice pick in my forehead.  Did any of those teams deserve to be a tournament team?  Why did the tournament expand if all we are getting is garbage?  More doesn't always mean better.  At least I know TrueTV has some decent shows to watch. 

More doesn't always mean better in regards to expanding the NFL season to 18 games.  Where is the clamor from the fans for an 18 game schedule?  This is only a desire bu the owners for more $$$$.  16 games is perfect.   In regards to the lock out, I am on the owners side.  The NFLPA leader Dmaurice Smith is an ass and is not PR savy at all.   He is trying to play hardball and it's not going to work.  The fact he is an Obama guy is bad as well.  Anyone connected to Obama, well, I will just not comment. 

The Nuggets keep on winning.  I predict they will make it to the Western Conference finals.  This is a deep and talented team.  Melo who?

Wray Eagle baseball begins Saturday the 19th at home against Fleming.  First pitch 11am.  Track team is at Akron for the Akron elays.  Meet begins at 9am. 

WSU beat Long Beach State in their opening round of the NIT.  Cougs go on to play OK State next.  Should be another W!  Go Cougs!

Wow, I have not written anything for a while.  The basketball season is over so it's on to baseball.  My first season covering East Colorado basketball was amazing.  I got to meet a lot of neat people, and with all the driving I did, I got to know the area pretty well.  I am looking forward to next season!  Lots of talent coming back for the Wray and girls hoopsters.

Opening day for Wray baseball is this Saturday March 19th against Fleming, the state runner up last year at 1A.  First pitch is 11am.  I love doing play by play for football, basketball, etc, but my favorite has to be baseball.  Is there anything better than watching a baseball game on a sunny afternoon with a dog and a cold beverage? 

Lots of talent on this years Wray team.  I think expectations are pretty high.  The pitching will be solid with Brett Vlasin as the ace.  He is a lefty which makes him even more dangerous.  I will be talking with head coach Jeff Collins this Wednesday for the Wednesday morning big interview.  Tune in tomorrow at 8:45am to hear the inside scoop on Wray baseball. 

Track gets under way the 19th as well.  The track team is at Akron for the Akron relays.  The meet begins at 9am. 

The Nuggets are so much fun to watch now.  Dare I say they are better without Melo?  There are so many interchangable parts and different lineup combinations.  I bet George Karl loves coaching this team. 

Wray is the #2 seed coming out of District 2 so they travel to Denver to play Alexander Dawson high school in the first round of regionals this Friday.  Tip off is 4:30pm.  Listen to the action on 1440AM KRDZ.  You can also stream live from KRDZ.com  If Wray wins the first round game Friday they will take on the winner of Denver Lutheran-Rangley.  I expect the championship game to be Denver Lutheran -v- Wray.  Tip off for the championship game is Saturday @ 2:30pm.  Winner goes to state loser goes home. 

I like the make up of Denver after the Melo/Chauncey trade.  I don't think there is any doubt the Nuggets will make the playoffs.  Chandler, Gallinari, Felton, Nene, JR Smith, Lawson, KMart, Afflalo is a nice set of players.  They are currently 6 in the West and I can't see them falling past Memphis, Portland, Phoenix or Utah.  (One small hicup is Gallinari is out for a couple weeks with a broken big toe)  Below is a link to a good article by Chris Reina of RealGM.com.  He grades the Melo deal.

http://basketball.realgm.com/article/211228/Grading_The_Deal_Knicks_Acquire_Carmelo_Anthony

I am very excited to see a few game at Coors Field this season.n.  The Rockies should be very-very good.  Below is an article by Jason Follain of RealGM.com discussing last year and this years squad.

http://baseball.realgm.com/src_teamarticle/676/20110202/primed_for_improvement_colorado_rockies_edition/

Tune in weekday mornings to The Morning Wake Up Show for my sports updates at 5 and 35 past the hour.  Wednesday is sports day.  We have our "big interview" tomorrow at 8:45am with Jeff Risdon, NFL Scout and NFL writer for RealGM.com.

Good Tuesday morning!  District 2 playoffs begin tonight with the Wray girls hosting Holyoke and the boys entertaining Sedgwick County.  Both should win to move on to the semi's at NJC this Thursday.  The top four teams will make the next step in the playoffs so as long as Wray does not lose tonight both teams should advance. 

The Melo-drama is finally over.  I am more upset about Chauncey leaving than Carmelo.  The Knicks have eyes on next season and should make a run at signing Dwight Howard or CP3.  A trio of Melo, Amare and CP3 is every bit as good as Lebron, Wade and Bosh.  Should be fun to watch.

Listen to Wray hoops all the way through the playoffs on 1440AM KRDZ or stream the games at KRDZ.com.  (Baseball is just around the corner)

Congratulations to the Wray wrestling team for a great 3rd place showing at the regional wrestling tournament at NJC in Sterling.  Akron finished first, Yuma second and Wray came in third. 
The Wray wrestlers going to the Pepsi Center are; Ramon Tarin, Kyler Churchwell, Otto Maldonaldo, RD Braz, Caleb Merritt, Alex Merritt, Levi Campfield and Zach Jackson.  Congratulations!

Boys and girls basketball host Wiggins this Thursday.  This is the last regular season game until league playoffs.  Both boys and girls basketball will host a first round game on Tuesday the 22nd. 

Wray baseball and softball is just around the corner!  I can't wait to begin broadcasting all the games.  You can listen to all the games on 1440AM KRDZ. 

Wray boys and girls basketball host Chase County (NE) tonight.  Girls tip off at 3:30pm and the boys around 5pm-ish.  Games can be heard on 1440AM KRDZ.  No sub varsity games tonight.

The more I think about it the more I think the Steelers will win the Super Bowl.  Two main reasons are Big Ben and Troy Polamalu.  Those two can take over a game and win it.  As good as Aaron Rodgers and Charles Woodsen are, I say the edge goes to BB & TP.

Is there a worse week in radio than Super Bowl week?   It's nothing but current and old players/coaches hawking and selling a product during the mind numbing interviews.  I never liked interviewing athletes because they seldom had anything interesting to say.  (If my boss wanted to send me to radio row next year I would not turn it down though.  Am I a hypocrite?)

There has been a lot of talk lately about Jimmer.  Lots of people speculating if he can play in the NBA or not.  Can't we just appreciate his greatness in college?  I know it's my job, and the sports media in general, to speculate about college players and if they can translate to the NBA, but I wish we would just enjoy the moment more.  If Jimmer doesn't become a big star in the NBA does it diminish what he did in college?  Of course not.  Doud Flutie is a great example of an amazing college athlete who didn't translate to the pro game.  He was still an amazing college player.  I say enjoy the Jimmer now and speculate later.  BYU to the Sweet 16?  Oops, there I go speculating again. 

Wray-Chase County Hoops Canceled tonight

The Wray-Chase County basketball games have been canceled tonight.  No make up date yet.  It's a non league game as Chase County is in Nebraska.  The boys had an easy game against Merino this past weekend.  By mid way through the first quarter coach Ed Reed emptied his bench and it was basically the Wray bench taking on Merino.  The girls hung with the #1 Merino Rams for a half but a big run at the start of the second half put the game out of reach.  The injury to Alex Rogers has hurt the depth of the girls as the first player off the bench now starts, the second player off the bench is now the first, etc.  The schedule doesn't get any easier for the girls as  #7 ranked Akron comes to town this Friday.  It is a winnable game as the Eagles lost by two in OT earlier in the year at Akron.  The #5 ranked Wray boys should have a real good chance at a "W" against Akron.  The boys took care of the Rams earlier in the season 70-57. 

Follow the link below for a good write up from Colorado Preps regarding the Wray-Burlington basketball games this past weekend.   The girls are so close to getting over the hump.  They can play with anyone in the top 10, they just don't have that signature win yet.   The boys need to work on free throw shooting if they want to make a serious run at a state title.  The talent is there but 50% from the charity stripe won't cut it at state. 

http://coloradopreps.com/2011/01/basketball-recapping-our-saturday-in-wray/

Jay Cutler is taking a lot of undeserved heat for not playing the second half of the NFC championship game.  Geez, the guy has a sprained MCL.    How would you feel if you got sacked almost 60 times during the season and then get your knee drilled.  I can't question the toughness of anyone who plays in the NFL.  

Listen to the Morning Wake Up Show on 1440AM KRDZ all this week as we qualify people to join us at our big Super Bowl party at Creekside Tavern!   You can follow me on Twitter at Twitter.com/Jeff1440Sports

Another heartbreaking loss to a top 10 team last night for the Wray girls.  Once again the girls showed they can play with anyone but can't get over the hump.  Burlington came out on top 48-45.  The game was close from start to finish and was in doubt until the final buzzer.  Burlington made a late run in the 4th quarter to go up by 8 but Wray charged back and almost put the game in OT.  Megan Neumann and Dani Lenz lead the way with 12 points apiece. Dani Lenz played her best game of the year scoring 6 points in each half. 

The boys had a little easier night beating Burlington 63-53.  The first half was close with Wray clinging to a 32-30 halftime lead.  Jarrett Cure had a monster first half scoring 16 points.  The second half was all Wray.  The Eagles seemed to always have an 8-10 point lead.  When the Cougars made a little run Wray always answered.  Cure ended up with 20, Ben Jones tallied 11 and Justin Fruwirth added 15.   The Eagles were only 50% from the line again but Fruwirth and Reinick made some clutch free throws late in the 4th quarter to seal the win.  Cade Reinick was excellent off the bench and played the entire 4th quarter.  On the post game show Coach Reed said he wanted Cade on the floor because of his ball handling and good free throw shooting.

Listen to the Morning Wake Up Show this week as we register 5 people to join us at our big Super Bowl party at Creekside Tavern!  Also listen for my sports updates and the sports trivia question of the morning.  All the fun can be heard on 1440AM KRDZ.

I really want the Bears to win today but I can't bring myself to pick against the Packers.  They are the hot team and Aaron Rodgers is on fire.  I think it will be a close game but the Packers will score a late touchdown and beat Chicago 24-13.  The Pack have to many weapons and sooner or later Rodgers, Jennings, Nelson, Driver, Jones, etc will break a big play or two.  The Bears will stay in the game with their defense but they will struggle to move the ball against a very good Packer defense.  If Chicago does pull the upset it will be due to Devin Hester and the special teams of Chicago. 

I have no problem picking the Steelers big over the J-E-T-S, Jets Jets Jets.  Big Ben is the reason.  He still doesn't receive the credit he deserves.  The Jets defense will have trouble containing Ben because he is a mobile QB and as good as the Jets secondary and pass rush is, Ben will break them down all day.  Steelers 28-10 over NY.   I am not sold on Mark Sanchez yet.  I still think he will throw a pick or two to kill the Jets chances. 

Tough night for the Wray girls.  They played well enough to win(almost) but lost a heart breaker to Sedgwick County 53-49.  The girls have shown they can play with pretty much any team in state but they have yet to get over the hump and beat a top 10 team.  It doesn't get any easier tomorrow night as the girls host #2 Burlington. 

The boys cruised to a 61-39 win over SC.  Not the most inspired performance by the boys but I have a feeling they were looking past the Cougars to the big match up tomorrow with Burlington.  This is the first game between the schools since Burlington beat Wray for the 2A football title.  Gonna be a great atmosphere tomorrow in Wray! 

Listen to 1440AM KRDZ for all the action.  You can stream the games as well at our website KRDZ.com

Big weekend of basketball for the Wray girls.  It's a battle of top 10 teams tonight as #7 Wray takes on #5 Sedgwick County in Julesburg.  Wray is back home tomorrow to play the #2 Burlington Cougars.  Back to back top 10 opponents will be a great test for the girls who have not really been challanged since an overtime loss to Akron earlier in the season. 

The boys also take on Sedgwick County tonight and Burlington tomorrow.  Burlington has the size to match up with Wray but do they have the guard play to hang with the #6 Wray Eagles? 

Listen to all the action on 1440AM KRDZ with your truly on the play by play. 

Nets owner says "no mas"  Do you really think the deal is dead?  Read the link and give me your take.
http://bit.ly/hjye4x

Insight on the Carmelo Anthony saga that keeps dragging on.  I for one have zero sympathy for him for being tired of the trade talk.  Suck it up. 

http://buzztap.com/-r3AMKc

In non Carmelo Anthony news.....Josh McDaniels landed on his feet as OC of the St. Louis Rams and Tom Cable is the OC for the Seahawks.  Both are very good hires.  Cable did a great job in Oakland working under the delusional Al Davis.  I think McDaniels is a very bright young coach but was a little over his head in Denver as the head coach and GM.  Mike Singeltary was hired by the Vikings as their Linebacker coach.  I think he is fine as a #2 kind of guy but as a head coach he is/was awful.   If he starts going crazy there is a head coach to reign him in. 

The winner of the sports trivia question of the morning was Travis Jones.  He stopped by the KRDZ broadcast palace and picked up his very stylish KRDZ baseball cap. 

Keep on listening to the KRDZ Morning Wake Up Show for more sports updates, trivia and info on how to enter to be part of our HUGE Super Bowl party. 

The Morning Wake Up Show is on!  Tune to 1440AM KRDZ for my sports updates, trivia and info on how to register for our HUGE Super Bowl party at Creekside Tavern

The Morning Wake Up Show is on!  Tune to 1440AM KRDZ for my sports updates, trivia and info on how to register for our HUGE Super Bowl party at Creekside Tavern. 

According to coloradopreps the Wray boys are the #6 team in state.  The girls come in at #7.  They were not in the top ten last week but after wins over Caliche and Holyoke this past weekend they re-entered the top ten.   

You can follow me on Twitter as well as this blog.  My Twitter handle is Jeff1440sports.

Listen to the Morning Wake Up Show weekday mornings for my sports updates and sports trivia question.  All the fun is on 1440AM KRDZ.

Here is some news on Colorado Avalanche forward Ryan O'Reilly  http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=6025858

A rough Avalanche practice is just fine with Matt Duchene  http://proxy.espn.go.com/nhl/local/link?id=3458978

The puck drops at 7pm tomorrow night as the Avalanche take on Vancouver at the Pepsi Center.  Tune in to 1440AM KRDZ for all the action.

Last night was another great night for Wray basketball.  The boys pulled away in the second half and took down the defending 2A champs Holyoke 76-55.  The Dragons hung with Wray in the first half but faded in the second half.  My unofficial stats show Jarrett Cure with 19 points, Ben Jones with 10, Justin Fruwirth 16 and Michael Holmes 14.   The girls beat Holyoke 52-46.  It was a big night for Maggie Cure as she scored 23.  Megan Neuman, Tiffany Stults and Jamie Delgado each chipped in 7.  (Once again, my stats are unofficial)  Next Friday we go to Sedgewick County and Saturday we are home to face Burlington.

Listen to the Morning Wake Up Show Monday-Friday on 1440AM KRDZ for my sports updates.  I do two per hour between 6a-9a.  You can also follow me on Twitter.  My handle is Jeff1440Sports. 

So far I am two for two on my football predictions.  The Steelers beat the Ravens and Green Bay hammered Atlanta.  Today I am going with the Bears in an easy win and New England will beat the Jets.

The Wray boys escaped with a 59-51 win over Caliche last night.  Caliche came into the game ranked #3 in class 1A and they showed why.  The are physical, athletic and well coached.  This was the first time Wray was challenged since their five point loss to Yuma.  Wray helped keep Caliche in the game by shooting 10-30 from the line.  On the post game show Coach Ed Reed said there are grade school and middle school teams who can shoot better from the line.  Ben Jones was almost unstoppable on the block and scored 26.  A big turning point in the game was about mid way through the third quarter when Fruwirth and Cure both had to go to the bench with four fouls.  At the time Wray was only up by six.  Shulz and Reinick came in and not only helped keep the lead, they extended the lead until Jarret and Justin came back in around the five minute mark of the fourth quarter.  Good win over a quality opponent!  Today we are off to Holyoke to play the defending 2A champs. 

The Wray girls easily beat Caliche 64-47.  The game was not as close as the score indicates.  The girls got off to a bit of a sluggish start but eventually pulled away by halftime.  Jessica Schneider led the way with 15 points off the bench.  I noticed she did not play any JV minutes so maybe she is a full time varsity player now.  I will ask Coach David Reed about this on the post game show today.  Jamie had nine points and Megan, Maggie and Tiffany chipped in with eight apiece.  Today we make the short drive to Holyoke to take on the Dragons.  Holyoke was drilled by Merino last night 61-41.

Catch all Wray Eagle basketball on 1440AM KRDZ.  Also listen to my sports updates every weekday morning from 6a-9a.  I update you on all the local, regional and national sports stories.  

Broncos hire John Fox as their head coach.  Great hire.  Fox will bring defense back to the Mile High city and will run the ball.  I think he will mesh very well with either Tim Tebow or Kyle Orton.  If I were a betting man, and I am, my money is on Tim Tebow to be the starting QB next season.  Orton will be traded to the 49ers or Seahawks. 

Pat Shurmur was hired by the Browns as head coach.  Good hire, he is a very good offensive mind.  He was the OC for a much improved St Louis Rams team.  This is a big hire for Browns President Mike Holmgren.   If this flops the Browns will be set back again.  There are some pieces to build around so I look for Cleveland to be much improved next season...if there is a next season. 

Below is a great link to an article by Bill Simmons of ESPN.  He gives his two cents about the Carmelo Anthony saga.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110113&sportCat=nba

Is there a more annoying team than the New York J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets?  Holy cow, earlier in the season they were taken behind the woodshed by the Patriots and now everyone on Jets is running their mouth, including the coach, Rex Ryan.  I can't wait until New England beats them this weekend so they finally shut their pie holes. 

Ravens-Steelers this weekend as well.  This will be a knock down, drag out, heavyweight prize fight.  I give the nod to the Steelers because of Big Ben.  In the NFC it's Chicago against Seattle.  It's midnight for the the Seahawks and there is no slipper.  I expect the Bears to win big.  In the other NFC game, Atlanta and Green Bay will get it on.  Even though Matty Ice is almost unbeatable at home, I am going with the hot team, Green Bay. 

Hi all,
The Carmelo Anthony saga is still going on, and on, and on, and on.  Is it just me or do the Nuggets seem like they know 'Melo and Billups are already gone and nobody cares anymore.  The team is going to be blown up and everyone knows it.  The below link is to NBA.com, this is a great time line of the Carmelo Anthony saga.

http://www.nba.com/2011/news/01/10/carmelo-anthony-timeline/index.html

Staying with hoops, KRDZ 1440AM will be carrying the boys and girls basketball games this Friday against Caliche and the Saturday games at Holyoke.  Yours truly doing the play by play.  I am looking for someone to do color for all the basketball games.  A former coach or player would be perfect.  If you are interested call KRDZ and ask for Jeff.  Love to hear from you.

John Fox interviewed for the Bronco head coaching job today.  He is my #1 pick to be the head man.  Fox is a solid coach that players respect.  He believes in playing defense and running the ball.  Fox has built a team from the ground up before.  He went into the Carolina job after a 1-15 season and made the Panthers a playoff team.  He took them to the Super Bowl only a few years after being named head coach. 

Listen to KRDZ in the mornings between 6a-9a.  I do two sports updates each hour to keep you updated on local, regional and national sports.

Non sports thoughts:  I am really glad V is back for another season.  Love that show, much better than the 80's version.   I am sad this is the last season of Friday Night Lights.  FNL may be my favorite show on TV.  Is there an unattractive female in Dillon?   I would love to play for Coach Taylor.  My favorite TV/movie coaches are Coach Taylor of Dillon/East Dillon and Coach Norman Dale from Hoosiers.  

Hi, I am the new sports guy at KRDZ

Hi everyone, I am the new Sports Director for KRDZ 1440AM.  I am thrilled to be here in beautiful (and COLD) Wray, CO. 

I moved to Wray from Portland, Oregon.  I have covered high school sports in Oregon and Idaho.  Before moving back to Oregon I covered high school sports for IdahoSports.com for three years.  I was the Director of Broadcasting and play by play voice.  Loved every minute of my job but it was only half/three quarter time.  I wanted a full time sports gig where I could talk sports 24/7/365.  In addition to my work with IdahoSports.com I hosted a local sports talk show in Pocatello, Idaho.  My work in Oregon includes hosting a local sports talk show in Bend, Oregon as well as a play by play voice for Madras and Culver high schools. 

My favorite teams are the Oakland A's, San Francisco 49ers and Utah Jazz.  I bleed Crimson and gray (Go Cougs) and am a high school and college sports fan above pro sports. 

I plan on using this blog to give my opinions on local, regional and national sports topics.  You may like my opinions, you may not.  I also plan to get the word out about Wray high school sports and when KRDZ will be bringing you play by play. 

Feel free top comment on anything you want to.  Let me know what you like about the morning sports updates on KRDZ and let me know what I can do to improve. 

Jeff Duncan
Sports Director
KRDZ 1440AM